Elevating-grader.



'PATENTED FEB. 18, 1908. l L. v. BROPHY.

ELEVATING GRADERL APPLIGATION FILED SEPT.13. 1907.

s SHEETS SHBETi.

PATENTED FEB. 18, 1908. L. V. BROPHY. ELEVATING GRADBR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 13. 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

: PATBNTED FEB. 18, 1908.

L. V. BROPHY. ELEVATING GRADER. PPPPP OAYTION FILED SEPT. 13.- 1907.

" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

LUKE V. BROPHY, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO INDIANA ROAD MACHINE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

E LEVATING-GRADER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUKE V. BROPHY, of Fort WVayne, in the county of Allen and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevating-Graders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines commonly known as grading and ditching machines or elevating graders and involving a wheeled carriage having a transversely arranged inclined elevating conveyer and a longitudinally arranged plow beam adjustably suspended at one side of the carriage and provided with a plow which is positioned to deliver the plowed up soil to the lower end of the elevating conveyer, the plow and its beam being raised and lowered by suitable raising and lowering devices and being usually stayed or controlled by transversely arranged swinging stay or controlling bars respectively fore and aft of the transverse elevating conveyer and having articulated connections with the plow and the body frame, a machine of such general character being for example shown in expired patent to W. J. Edwards, No. 393,467, dated November 27th, 1888. In elevating graders of the class involving a plow and elevating conveyer or carrier relatively arranged as in said expired patent, the mold board of the plow serves to direct the turned up furrow onto the lower end portion of the endless conveyer belt and for ordinary soil the plow having such mold board is generally sufficient for such purposes. In some cases however it has been deemed desirable to arrange some kind of a guard between the mold board and the lower end portion of the carrier belt so as to collect a certain portion of sand which may otherwise drop between the conveyer and the mold board while the machine is operating in dry, sandy soil, an illustration of a sand guard for such purpose being for example found in patent to A. Barheit for road grading machine 535,785, March 12th, 1895, in which said patent the sand guard is attached to the frame of the elevated conveyer. Other forms of sand guards carried by the elevating conveyer frame might also be cited, but for the purpose of this application the foregoing mentioned patent is deemed sufficient.

The objects of my invention are to effectively collect such sand as may pass down between the mold board and the carrier belt,

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed September 13 1907- $erial No. 392.772.

Patented Feb. 18, 1908.

and to prevent such sand from being left behind during the advancement of the machine; to effectively collect, raise and direct such sand to the conveyer belt; to permit the plow to run close to the conveyer belt without endangering the latter; to protect the conveyer belt from the edge of the mold board during various movements which the plow will have during operation; to avoid breakage of parts in case the plow encounters a stump or the like and is caused to turn upon its pivot bolt to bridge over certain space between the mold board and the elevating conveyer, and at the same time to provide in effect a sand lifting mold board as an auxiliary to the mold board proper; to provide for certain relative and highly desirable adjustments; and provide certain new and improved matters of detail and arrangement as hereinafter more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, represents in side elevation a portion of an elevating grader embodying my invention, the portion of the elevating grader shown being suflicient for the purposes of this application. Fig. 2, is an enlarged detail perspective view looking forward from a point back of the plow, a portion of the plow beam being cut away as is also a portion of the frame of the elevating conveyer, for convenience of illustration. The carrier or conveyer belt is also removed for the same purpose. Fig. 3, is a top plan perspective view of the plow and lower end portion of the elevating conveyer, the conveyer or carrier belt being removed. Fig. 4, is a perspective view mainly showing the plow and sand lifter as viewed from a point forward of the same, said View also including a portion of the plow beam and the lower end portion of the elevating conveyer.

In the portion of the elevating grader illustrated in Fig. 1 the body frame A is supported upon front and rear wheels in any usual or desired way, and the plow B is arranged alongside the wheeled body frame or carriage and attached in any ordinary or desired way to the plow beam C which is longitudinally supported with relation to the length of the carriage.

In Fig. 1, raising and lowering means comprising chains D & E are connected with the plow beam and arranged to be operated in any ordinary or suitable way, it being v plow proper.

of the class to which my invention relates,

the plow comprising the plow proper andits beam C is also capable of lateral tilt. The upright rod F shown in Fig. 1 is attached to the plow beam and arranged for lateral swing, and as this device and the means of operating it so as to laterally tilt the plow are fully shown and described in patent to L. V. Brophy, No. 784,545, dated Mar. 14th, 1905, it is believed to be unnecessary to herein further illustrate such means, and particularly for the reason that other known plow tilting devices may be employed.

G indicates the lower end portion of the elevating conveyer frame which is understood to extend transversely across the machine and to be supported upon the carriage in an inclined position with its lower end adjacent to the plow and its high end at the opposite side of the carriage whereby soil delivered from the elevating conveyer can be taken by cars or wagons successively driven under its elevated discharge end. As usual, the elevating conveyer is provided with an endless carrier or conveyer belt for elevating the soil from the lower and upper end of the elevating conveyer, said belt being here omitted so as to more clearly illustrate the lower belt roll H which is supported at the lower end of the elevating conveyer or carrier frame as a support for the conveyer belt at the receiving end of the elevating conveyer. The carrier frame is also constructed with longitudinal side boards or guards, 1 and 2 for the general purpose for which they are provided in elevating graders. The elevating conveyer is also provided at its lower end with a transversely arranged plate I or shoe 3, this plate or shoe being positioned under the lower belt roll H and having its end portions bent upwardly. The plow B is arranged opposite the lower belt roll H and is constructed with a mold board 4 which serves to direct the plowed up soil toward and onto the receiving end portion of the elevating conveyer which is of course understood to have in practice a suitable endless carrier belt as hereinbefore mentioned.

I, indicates a device which I term a supplemental mold board arranged back of and to some extent under the mold board 4 of the This supplemental mold board I is characterized or substantially characterized in form by the general conformation of the mold board 4, that is to say, the supplemental mold board I conforms to the conformation of the mold board 4 to an extent to permit the supplemental mold board to collect, raise and direct and deliver to the elevating conveyer such loose soil or sand as may not have been delivered by the mold board 4 to the elevating conveyer during the g peration of the machine. As best shown in 1g. 3 the forward portion 5 of the supplemental mold board I extends forwardly and figures.

plemental mold board will be caused to rise along the latter which while permitting and causing such material to thus rise will also deflect and direct it to the elevating conveyer belt. It will therefore be seen that this supplemental mold board takes up and performs such portion of the work as the mold board 4 may have failed to do, and that while the supplemental mold board substantially bridges over the space between the lower end of the elevating conveyer to the rear portion of the plow, it also collects loose material which has passed the mold board 4 and practically raises such material and directs it to the elevating conveyer.

A part of the u per rear portion of the supplemental mol board I preferably extends to a suitable extent over the lower belt roll H as indicated by dotted line in Fig. 2, and also as indicated by full lines in other Broadly considered the supplemental mold board I is attached to the plow by suitable means whereby it can be ad justed either vertically or in direction toward or away from the elevating conveyer as may be desired. As a simple and desirable mechanical adjustment the supplemental mold board is adjustably secured to the heel brace K of the plow by clevis devices L, and with this arrangement the supplemental mold board is provided with lines of holes 7, 7, through which the bolts or arm portions 7 of the clevis devices are extended, it being seen that when desired each or either clevis device can be adjusted laterally by transferring its arms from one to another pair of said holes in the supplemental mold board. In order to vertically adjust the supplemental mold board the nuts 8 which bear against the end plate portions 9 of the clevisdevices can be loosened, and after the supplemental mold board has been raised or lowered upon the heel brace these nuts 8 can be again tightened up. The supplemental mold board can therefore be positively adjusted toward and away from the receiving end of the elevating carrier, and it also can be raised and lowered with reference to any vertical adjustment of the plow or with reference to the character of the work, it being observed that in some cases the lower portion of the supplemental mold board should be raised a little higher than in the inner edge of the up-turned portion of the supplemental mold board. The fender M preferably consists of a metal plate secured to the elevating conveyer frame and bent outwardly and rearwardly and having its rear end portion bent inwardly and secured to the up-turned rear end 10 of the metal shoe 3, as best illustrated in Fig. 2. With this arrangement the rear side board 2 of the elevating conveyer frame is made shorter than the forward side 1 of said conveyer and the inner end of the plate M is securely bolted to the inner face of the side-board 2 at a point near the lower end of such side-board. From the point where the plate M is bolted to the sideboard it extendsoutwardly and over the belt roll H and is thence deflected rearwardly to a suitable extent and is then reversely deflected until its terminal portion is brought to a point where it can be bent and secured to end of the shoe 3 by means of bolts 11. This guard, abutment or fender M prevents the supplemental mold board from striking and cutting the belt, and therefore the edge of the supplemental mold board next adjacent to the belt can be permitted to lie comparatively close to the latter, and thereby increase the efficiency of the delivery from the supplemental mold board to the elevating conveyer.

It will be observed that if for example the plow should tilt inwardly or toward the elevating conveyer, it will be arrested by the guard or abutment M before the supplemental mold board has been moved inwardly to an extent to impinge against and cut the carrier belt, and that as the guard M practically has a horizontal inclination, the jamming of the supplemental mold board against such portion of the guard device M will increase proportionally to the disposition of the plow to tilt inwardly, and that as a further result, tendency on the part of the supplemental mold board to approach and out the belt will be met by an opposing and increasing resistance which will in proper time become a positive resistance and thereby save the belt. As a further explanation of this fender or resistance plate M, it is secured to the lower rear corner portion of the elevating frame and diverges outwardly and rearwardly, and forms an abutment which will protect the belt from the supplemental mold board, and as a simple and convenient arrangement the plate M is bent so that it can be secured to the rear upturned end of the shoe 3.

The rear up-turned end portion of the supplemental mold board 5 is preferably as high or approximately as high as the high portion of the mold board 4, and as the supplemental mold board is secured to the plow, it will partake of the movements of the latter, it being observed however that this supplemental mold board may be positively adjusted independently of or relatively to the mold board proper 4. The position of said supplemental mold board back of the mold board 4 also the lower rear portion of the elevating conveyer.

here the plow standard 12 is secured to the plow beam by a pivot bolt, as is customary in elevating graders, the plow and supplemental sand guard will swing with the standard in case the plow encounters are sistance (such as a stump) which is sufficient to cause the usual heel brace K to sheer off the bolt K by which the upper end of the heel brace is attached to the plow beam.

In Fig. 2 the bolt 13 by which the plow standard is attached to the beam C is exposed by breaking away part of the standard, and the lower end of the inclined heel brace is shown attached at its lower end to the landside of the plow by a bolt 14. If now the upper bolt K at the upper end of the heel brace should sheer off by reason of the plow encountering a resistance, such as a stump, the plow in yielding to such resistance will of course swing in direction to first depress its point, and hence, in Fig. 1 it will swing to the left. As the plow thus swings about the horizontal axis of its bolt 13, the supplemental mold board and the heel brace will swing forward about the axis of the bolt 14 and hence neither the fender M nor any part of the elevating conveyer will be injured.

With further reference to the two mold boards, the similarity of their forward faces and their relative positions are best shown in Figs. 3 and l, the space between their main' transversely arranged deflecting portions which rise and have a .curved twist being best shown in Fig. 3, which clearly shows the combined guard and mold board I set back of the main plow mold board and having its lower forwardportion extending under the latter. The rear mold board portion 6 effectively defleets the loose soil which has passed back of the forward mold board, while its lower forward portion 5 collects all loose soil or sand dropping down from the forward mold board and as the plow advances there will be a relative back flow of accumulated sand along and up the rear mold board and thence toward and onto the elevating conveyer belt.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In an elevating grader of the class set forth, a transversely arranged elevating conveyer; a plow opposite the lower receiving end of the elevating conveyer and having a mold board for the lateral deflection and side delivery of the plowed up soil onto the elevat ing conveyer, and a succeeding supplemental mold board attached to the plow and arranged for collecting and laterally deflecting and delivering onto the elevating conveyer such portions of plowed up sand or loose soil as may have escaped from the delivery of the preceding mold board of the plow during operation.

2. In an elevating grader of the class set forth, a transversely arranged elevating conveyer; a plow opposite the lower receiving end of the elevating conveyer and having a mold board for the lateral deflection and side delivery of the plowed up soil onto the ele vating conveyer, and a supplemental curved mold board back of said plow mold. board and also extending under the same, said supplemental mold board being arranged for collecting and laterally deflecting and delivering onto the elevating conveyer such portions of plowed up sand or loose soil as may have escaped from the delivery of the preceding mold board of the plow during operation.

3. In an elevating grader of the class set forth, a transversely arranged elevating conveyer; a plow opposite the lower receiving end of the elevating conveyer and having a mold board for the lateral deflection and side delivery of the plowed up soil onto the elevating conveyer, and a supplemental mold board arranged. back of the plow mold board and having its lower forward portion extending under the latter, the supplemental mold board being secured to the plow and having its high portion opposite the rear corner portion of the receiving end of the elevating conveyer, said supplemental mold board being arranged for delivering sand or loose soil which may have escaped from the delivery of the preceding plow mold board during the operation.

4. In an elevating grader of the class setforth. a transversely arranged elevating conveyer; a plow opposite the lower receiving end of the elevating conveyer and constructed with a mold board arranged for the lateral deflection and side delivery of the plowed up soil onto the elevating conveyer, and a supplemental mold board attached to the plow back of the plow mold board, said supplemental mold board having a width sufficient to cover the space between the elevating conveyer and a higher portion of the plow mold board, and having its high portion overhanging the lower end portion of the elevating conveyer, said supplemental mold board. being also formed and arranged for side delivery in direction toward and onto the belt of the elevating conveyer.

5. I11 an elevating grader of the class set forth, a transversely arranged elevating conveyer; a plow opposite the lower receiving end of the elevating conveyer and having a mold board for the lateral deflection and side delivery of the plowed up soil onto the elevating conveyer belt, said plow being supported for lateral tilt; a supplemental mold board attached to and arranged back of the plow and operative for side delivery onto the elevating conveyer belt of sand or loose soil which has escaped from the delivery of the plow mold board during operation, and a fender secured to the lower rear end corner portion of the elevating conveyer frame in position to fend off the supplemental mold board and prevent the inner edge of the latter from contacting with and cutting the conveyer belt.

6. In an elevating grader of the class set forth, a transversely arranged elevating conveyer having a suitably driven endless carrier or conveyer belt; a plow opposite the lower receiving end of the elevating conveyer and having a mold board for the lateral deflection and side delivery of the plowed up soil onto the elevating conveyer belt; a supplemental mold board back of and extending forwardly under the plow mold board and arranged to deliver in similar manner onto the conveyer belt such ortions of the plowed up sand or loose soi as may have escaped from the delivery of the plow mold board during operation, and a combined guard and deflector secured to the lower portion of the rear side of the elevating conveyer frame and at the lower end portion of the elevating conveyer bent outwardly and rearwardly and then deflected inwardly and attached to a rigid member of the elevating conveyer frame.

7. In an elevating grader of the class set forth, a transversely arranged elevating conveyer having an endless conveyer or carrier belt; a plow arranged for side delivery onto the conveyer belt and supported for side tilt; a supplemental mold board succeeding the plow mold board and arranged for taking sand or loose soil which has escaped the delivery of the plow mold board and delivering such material onto the endless conveyer belt, and a fender consisting of a longitudinal curved plate having one end secured to the inner face of the rear side boardof the elevating conveyer frame, and having its rear end secured to a rear flanged end of a shoe with which the conveyer frame is provided, the upper high portion of the supplemental mold board being normally opposite a curved portion of the said fender.

S. In an elevating grader of the class set forth, a transversely arranged elevating conveyer; a tiltable plow arranged for side delivery onto the endless belt portion of the elevating conveyer a supplemental mold board arranged back of and extending under the plow mold board and adapted for similar action as to sand or loose dirt which has escaped from the delivery of the plow mold board, said supplemental mold board being adjustably secured to the plow.

9. In an elevating grader of the class set forth, a transversely arranged elevating conveyer; a tiltable plow arranged for side delivery onto the endless belt portion of the elevating conveyer; a supplemental mold board arranged back of and extending under the plow mold board and adapted for similar action as to sand or loose dirt which has escaped from the delivery of the plow mold board, said supplemental mold board being secured to the heel brace of the plow.

10. In an elevating grader of the class set forth, a transversely arranged elevating conveyer; a tiltable plow arranged for side delivery onto the endless belt portion of the elevating conveyer; a supplemental mold board arranged back of and extending under the plow mold board and adapted for similar action as to sand or loose dirt which has escaped from the delivery of the plow mold board, said supplemental mold board being apljustably secured to the heel brace of the p 11. In an elevating grader of the class set forth, a transversely arranged elevating conveyer; a tiltable plow arranged for side delivery onto the endless belt portion of the elevating conveyer a supplemental mold board arranged back of and extending under the plow mold board and adapted for similar action as to sand or loose dirt which has escaped from the delivery of the plow mold board, said supplemental mold board being adjustably secured to the heel brace of the plow by clevis devices.

12. In an elevating grader of the class set forth, a transversely arranged elevating conveyer; a plow opposite the lower receiving end of the elevating conveyer and having a mold board for the lateral deflection and side delivery of the plowed up soil onto the elevating conveyer, and a supplemental mold board. for collecting and laterally deflecting and delivering onto the elevating conveyer such portions of sand or loose soil as may have dropped from the plow mold board during operation, the two mold boards being of substantially similar form, and the supplemental mold board being set nearer the receiving end of the elevating conveyer and arranged to extend .under the mold board of the plow.

13. In an elevating grader of the class set forth, a transversely arranged elevating conveyer; a plow having a mold board and arranged opposite the receiving end of the elevating conveyer for side delivery thereto, and a second mold board secured to the plow back of the plow mold board, and of the same or substantially the same height,

14. In an elevating grader 'of theclass set forth, a transversely arranged elevating conveyer constructed with a frame portion having a transverse shoe at its lower end; a plow opposite the receiving end of the elevating conveyer and having a mold board for the lateral deflection and side delivery of the plowed up soil onto the elevating conveyer, and a succeeding supplemental mold board having a forward lower portion extending under the plow mold board and also extend ing to a line along and adjacent to the outer longitudinal edge of the shoe, and having its upwardly bent portion overhanging the shoe and lower belt roll of the elevating conveyer.

LUKE V. BROPHY.

WVitnesses CHARLES G. PAGE, OTTILIE C. FREIBERG. 

